Local inner-ear drug delivery and pharmacokinetics.

Several drugs that are applied directly to the inner ear are in widespread clinical use for the treatment of inner-ear disorders. Many new substances and drug delivery systems specific to the inner ear are under development and in some cases are being evaluated in animal experiments and in clinical studies. However, the pharmacokinetics of drugs in the inner ear is not well defined and the field is plagued by technical problems in obtaining pure samples of the inner-ear fluids for analysis. Nevertheless, a basic understanding of the mechanisms of drug dispersal in the inner ear has emerged, which facilitates the design and interpretation of future pharmacokinetic studies.